"Human Rights Activists Discuss Chechnya"

The Arlington Advocate, 4/24/03

Two Chechen human rights activists, Eliza Moussaeva and Bela Tsugaeva, will discuss the current human rights crisis in Chechnya Friday, April 25, at 8 p.m. at the First Parish Unitarian-Universalist Church in Lexington.

The discussion, sponsored by the Arlington/Lexington chapter of Amnesty International, is free and open to the public.

Moussaeva has been on the front lines in Chechnya documenting human rights violations. Trained as a psychologist, Moussaeva worked for several years as director of the regional branch of Memorial, one of the leading human rights organizations in Russia.

Tsugaeva, who now works with World Vision, is a former professor of English at Chechen State University and has worked for several years with groups helping Chechen refugees.

The local Amnesty International group is sponsoring the discussion in order to bring attention to the current human rights crisis in Chechnya.

"Now, while the eyes of the world are focused on Iraq and the Bush administration wants the full support of Putin's government in Russia, Americans are hot hearing the full story of the terrible situation in Chechnya," said Bill Harris of Park Avenue, coordinator of the Amnesty International group.

Amnesty International's researchers, based in London, have been following the situation in Chechnya for many years. This small region of Russia has seen two armed rebellions by pro-independence groups since the old Soviet Union broke apart in 1991.

Although the Chechens formed a distinct ethnic group within the USSR, they were not recognized as a separate "republic" when the USSR dissolved. Unlike the Ukranians, the Armenians, and other groups, the Chechens did not gain independence at that time.

Amnesty International has documented numerous human rights violations by both pro-independence groups and the Russian government. Like other human rights organizations, Amnesty International believes that the vast majority of these abuses have been perpetrated by the Russian Army.

"Amnesty International has condemned the rebels for hostage-taking and other abuses, but Russia's own forces are also guilty of massive violations," he said. "Thousands of innocent civilians have been tortured, murdered, or they have simply disappeared after being carried off by the Russian Army. Hundreds of women have been raped in acts of ethnic retribution and oppression. The Russian government has so far done little about these atrocities. Out of almost 25,000 complaints against Russian forces, only a handful have ever resulted in trials."

Last week, 22 European countries asked the UN Human Rights Commission to condemn Russia for grave human rights violations in Chechnya.

A reception for Tsugaeva and Moussaeva will follow their presentation. All members of the audience are invited to meet them in person.